Bright Light, Final Mistake
by Zelith
Summary: Forgotten. Left behind. Those are the only things that Jump City's notorious troublemakers, Phantom and Shadow, remember. Their memories, blacked out with betrayal. In the world they live in, they trust only each other. And yet the truth crashes down on them when they are taken in by the Teen Titans. [boy x boy, Danny x OC, don't like don't read.] Final part in Shadowy Rose series.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the third and final part in my "Shadowy Rose" series! Please note that I haven't watched Teen Titans in quite a long time and I'm going off of what I remember about the characters. Also note that there are two stories before this one, and you can find them on my profile. Otherwise this story won't make much sense. Enjoy and please review!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM OR TEEN TITANS. ONLY THE MAIN CHARACTER IS MINE. (This warning will only be showing up here on the first chapter, so please take note of it!)**

"Get back here, you thieving kids!" the baker shouted at us as we ran. Laughing, we ducked into an alleyway and turned invisible; the baker ran into the alley, looked around for a few minutes, cursed, and left. As soon as we were sure he was gone, he broke out into fits of laughter again. Our arms full of bread, we made our way back to our little hideout.

"Look at how much we got today, Shadow!" my white-haired companion, Phantom, gloated. "You'd think he would've tightened security after the first few times we stole from him!" His white hair was speckled with dust, making it look slightly grey.

"Yeah, I'd say," I snickered, my own black hair full of dust. It didn't help that we lived in an abandoned, decrepit house. However, through stealing and lying, we kept ourselves alive. However, we never stole more than we needed to. Phantom's tattered short-sleeve black shirt, torn white cape, baggy black pants, and white gloves (with their fingers cut off so that they fit him) accounted for that. His shirt was far too big for him and almost reached his knees; the black pants went to about mid-calf on him, though they were meant to only reach his knees. His cape had been sewn back together many times, and we'd stitched a large black "P" into it, for "Phantom".

My own grey long-sleeve shirt was baggy, hanging off of one shoulder to stay on the other. I had a purple tank-top under my grey shirt, the tank-top too long and stretching to about mid-thigh. My grey shirt went to my knees. I wore thick, tattered jeans that had been stitched back together many times and only stayed on my hips because we had scavenged for a belt (and luckily we'd found one, with clips to hold items too!) to loop around the waistband. I usually wore a dark purple beanie to hide my wolf ears, though this time I had forgotten it at home. Since my shirt sleeves went past my hands, I didn't wear gloves. Besides, what use would gloves be if I didn't have a weapon on me? Gloves would make my claws useless.

"So," Phantom started, "should we spray-paint a big ghost on that Tower tonight, or should we just make it look like a mess?"

"I'm thinking the big ghost," I answered thoughtfully, my tail brushing the backs of my thighs. "We vandalized the town hall yesterday, with no real plan to it. I think graffiti art would make it look like we actually have a plan instead of just teenagers being teenagers."

The white-haired ghost across from me laughed, almost choking on his bread. "Yeah, you're right," he managed to gasp out after he had swallowed the bread. "After all, we aren't just teenagers. We're _ghost_ teenagers. We'd better make that apparent before we scare them all to death by escaping prison."

I grinned, swallowing the dry food. I liked the way Phantom was thinking.

-line break-

It was dark.

Of course, we normally attacked during the night. We hardly ever slept, not that we needed to sleep as often as humans did. When we did sleep, we slept during the day. Green spray-paint in hand, we crept across the water surrounding the Tower and got to work. We stayed silent as we worked, unwilling to break the silence. By the time the sun began to rise, there was a giant ghost on the Tower. For added vandalism, we took some red spray-paint and wrote under the picture, _Who you gonna call? Ghost Kids!_

It was a play on the Ghost-Busters catchphrase, but our gang name was Ghost Kids. Whenever we were talked about on the news, the media just called us "the Ghost Kids" and thus we'd picked up the name for ourselves. We were first called "Ghost Kids" because we were near impossible to catch, but we knew the reality of it. It was pure irony.

Of course, being the cowards we were, we scampered before we could be caught. This would make for an interesting bit of news later today, that was for sure. Upon returning to our hideout, we collapsed into giggling fits on the sofa, shoulders brushing as we snorted.

"Oh man, imagine how angry they'll be!" I coughed, a bit of dust going down my windpipe. Yeah, we were strange. We were pretty sure we were ghosts (intangibility, invisibility, and flight were standard ghost powers, though we didn't fly so much as hover) and yet we needed to do human things like eat and drink and sleep. We were even capable of getting drunk, though alcohol didn't affect us. We got drunk off of electricity; a low-voltage would get us immensely drunk, even hungover in some cases.

I began to cough harsher, a sticky substance coming up and leaking through my open mouth. It dripped onto the floor; the green ectoplasm evaporated after a little bit, the decrepit hideout far too hot for the ectoplasm to remain, even when it was so close to me.

"You a'ight?" Phantom murmured softly to me, one of his hands drifting over my back in hesitant comfort. We tried not to show weakness, even around each other. That was the reason why he was so careful in comforting me; it would be like admitting I was weak. And weak I was not. Anyone who had met my giant wolf form would agree.

"Yeah," I rasped, giving him a smile. He returned it with a cocky grin, leaning back onto the couch as though relieved.

"Good. Mind sparking the radio on? It won't be long before the giant ghost on the Tower is discovered. Isn't it called something like the T Tower?"

"Not at all." I let my fingers spark with purple electricity, the small presence at the back of my consciousness going unnoticed. The radio flickered on. "Yeah, I think that's the name. I think it stands for Teen Titans Tower." I snorted. "They have a stupid name."

"True that, though I think Ghost Kids might be stupider considering I'm 17 and you're 16."

"It sounds better than Ghost Teens or Ghost Adults. Ghost Kids has got this sort of ring to it, dude. It's catchy." I shrugged. "All adults call people under the age of 20 'kid'. So we're the Ghost Kids."

"...Yeah, I guess you're right."


	2. Chapter 2

_"This just in! The Ghost Kids vandalized the Teen Titans' Tower last night! Here we show the giant green monster they spray-painted on the side of the Tower... Look at that! Sometimes it's like these kids really are ghosts! Unless they can fly, haha, they wouldn't have been able to make it that big! We have the Teen Titans here with a message for the Ghost Kids, if they're watching!"_

We watched the news with idle interest, the fingers on my left hand twitching and sparking as I kept the old television on. The ghost we had made looked even better in the light than it had in the dark. A kid with spiky black hair took the microphone on the news, and I faintly recognized him as the leader of the Teen Titans. I snorted in amusement. His outfit looked really stupid. He was wearing Spandex, for ghosts' sake! He was the one who was named Robin, right?

 _"Hello, citizens of Jump City. Ghost Kids, if you're watching this, then I want you to know that we, the Teen Titans, will stop at nothing to catch you. You have vandalized property and-"_

The girl with black hair grabbed the boy's arm and muttered fiercely to him, though we couldn't hear it. Phantom and I leaned forward, interested now. After a few seconds of debate, she took the microphone from him. It was then that we noticed that she was hovering in place, her cloak not touching the ground. We shared a look; either a ghost or a demon, definitely.

 _"Ghost Kids."_

We flinched at her monotone voice.

 _"I am not denying that we are angry with you. But from what has been heard and what bits of you we've spotted, you're just kids. You know where the Tower is and how to get to it. We request your presence before nightfall, or else we will make it our top priority to catch and jail you."_

Phantom sighed and I let my gaze slide mutinously over to him. He gave me a halfhearted smile through his bangs, and it was the smile that reminded me why I followed him in the first place. Not only because I loved him (and he loved me), but because he knew how to deal with trouble. And if he was going to the Tower, I would follow him.

-line break-

We got to the Tower before they did. Groaning, I let my back hit the ground and stared at the bright blue sky above me.

"Wow, they ask for our presence and they're not even here when we get here! Talk about rude!" I huffed, shielding my eye from the sun with my right arm.

Phantom laughed, lying down next to me. "Yeah, how crazy is that? We got here before they did!"

"I wonder why they wanted our presence. Are they gonna stick us in a cage to see how we get out? Or maybe they'll make us clean the Tower for them." I chuckled roughly. "Not as though they can. They would need a ghost-controlling device." I froze, a horrible thought coming to me. I sat up abruptly, shaking. "What if they _do_ have a way to control us?"

"Unlikely," Phantom scoffed, trying to calm me down before I went into a panic attack. "Since when has anyone connected the name 'Ghost Kids' with the idea that we're ghosts?"

"...You're right. I-I'm being silly, aren't I." I laughed nervously, still trembling.

"They'll probably just want to talk to us," the white-haired ghost soothed. "Maybe find out how we escape being caught so often. We've got _nothing_ to worry about, Shadow."

"...You're right," I sighed, calming down. My hair, which had begun to bristle, slowly laid flat and my beanie shifted slightly as I flicked my ears forward. "You're right and I'm being ridiculous."

"Not as ridiculous as you think," said a deep voice behind us; we both froze and slowly turned to look behind us. Behind us stood the half-robot guy, arms crossed. And he did _not_ look friendly.

-line break-

I'll admit it, I passed out from sheer terror. One moment I was staring at the Teen Titans, who had very cleverly sneaked up on us, and the next I was fighting a fierce headache and trying to make sense of all the voices around me.

"Dude, Cyborg! I think you killed him!"

"You can't kill a ghost, you little green nub!"

"Oh man, but what if I killed him again? Can you do that? Can you kill a ghost?"

"I don't think you can kill a ghost without fighting them."

"Guys, we just have to go about this in an orderly fashion."

"Ugh, shut up, all of you," I groaned, not even attempting to find out whose voice was whose. Immediately, there was quiet. After a few seconds, there was a slight weight on my chest. It was cold, and shaggy bangs were brushing my cheek. Phantom.

"I thought you were fading, Shadow," he whispered, low enough that only I would hear it.

"I'm fine," I muttered, sitting up. Phantom helped me, and I could sense his signature 'scary eyes' glare going around the room. I cracked open my eye and gave the Teen Titans a pained smile. "Too bad for you guys, right?"

Then I was being crushed in a hug by the orange-haired girl, and I choked on my breath.

"Foe Shadow, will you be my friend?" she asked excitedly.

"If you'll stop breaking my bones," I coughed, and I winced as she sheepishly let go.

"Oh! Friend Shadow, I am Starfire!"

"Good to know." I massaged my ribs, vaguely noticing how Phantom stayed near my side. I did, however, notice that we seemed to be inside the Tower. There was a lot of tech around, and as my vision slowly refocused itself I became aware of the other Titans. I started to ask a question, but then my headache hit me worse and I moaned in pain. Phantom pressed his cold hand to my forehead in an attempt to ease the migraine.

"Hey, uh," the deep-voiced robot-guy started apologetically, "I didn't mean to scare ya. When you passed out, you hit your head on a rock. So, well... sorry."

"Apology pending, please hold," I rasped out, sending the robot a half-smile. I made little beeping noises as Phantom slowly got rid of my headache and at one point I think I must have started humming a song, as though the robot was actually on hold. The Titans were smiling by now, except for the girl in the cloak. She seemed as emotionless as ever. "Mmm... apology accepted if you'll dim the lights in here. It's not helping my headache."


	3. Chapter 3

The lights had been off for a few minutes by the time I was able to open my eye and Phantom took his hand away from my head.

"Thanks, Phantom," I murmured, stifling a yawn. He said nothing, just nodded at me. He was still glaring at the Teen Titans, his eyes glowing an eerie green. I rested my cheek on his shoulder, aware that if the Teen Titans tried anything Phantom would be able to get us out of there. Getting hit on the head often messed with my abilities, and it'd be a few hours before I could access anything. The beanie shifted as I listened to the Titans talk, and Phantom absentmindedly fixed it for me.

"We can't trust them," the guy with the black spiky hair muttered to the others. I was beginning to realize that he was the leader. "They're vandals, thieves, and as far as we're aware they purposely cause as much chaos as they can."

"They also showed up when I asked them to," the cloaked girl deadpanned.

"They might have just been scared of you," the green dude countered. "I know we all are."

"They have agreed to be my friends," Starfire pouted. "Does that not mean that they will stop being destructive?"

A glimmer of light caught my eye and I instantly forgot about listening in on the Titans. Their attention turned to me when I stood up, transfixed with the almost-full moon. I stepped towards the window, my hand reached out for it.

"Oh come on," Phantom groaned. "It's not even the full moon yet..."

I ignored him and tried to catch the moonlight. Frustrated when I couldn't, I settled for trying to grab the moon in my hands. I was met with the cool glass on my fingertips, and I frowned. Contemplating, I tipped my head to one side. My beanie slid to the side a little, but I didn't notice. Suddenly making up my mind, I thumped down onto the ground to watch the moon rise.

"Phantom," I panted softly, "Phantom, look at the moon. It's so close to being full... And it's so pretty..."

"Yes," he chuckled, equally soft, "yes, the moon is almost full. We'll have to get you out to the forest then, back to that big clearing you like..."

I whimpered, shifting in irritation of being so far away from the moon. A tiny portion of the howl I was keeping locked inside of my chest escaped, and I pawed the glass in the hopes that it would somehow shift away for me. My powers would return soon, yes, but not soon enough. By the time my powers would come back, the moon would be sinking and I wouldn't have a chance to get closer to it.

"Dude," the green nub said in exasperation, "are you howling at the moon? What are you, a wolf?"

I took no notice of his words as the howl escaped again in a whimper, and I didn't bother looking at the Titan until I sensed another canine presence. I twisted my head around, growling already, my hair bristling. A green wolf was there, and I snarled at it in warning.

"Whoa, dude, calm down!" The wolf was replaced with the green Titan, his name something that started with a B... "It's just me, Beast Boy!"

Growling and snarling ceasing, I stared at him for a little longer before I decided he was of no importance and turned my attention to the moon. My tail wagged, escaping the confines of my shirt where it had previously been hidden. And then I couldn't hold it back anymore and I _howled,_ a long, loud, melodious sound that was tribute to the moon.

Phantom was suddenly there, blocking me from view of the Teen Titans. He tucked my tail back in my shirt and pulled my beanie farther over my ears. My ears were flicking wildly, trying to take in all the sounds at once.

"Dude, he has a tail!" the deep voice said in a loud whisper.

"And if what we saw is any indication, he seems to have wolf ears as well," deadpanned the girl.

"He's like... part wolf, dudes! Awesome!" Beast Boy shouted, and my ears flicked down. I growled harshly.

"Uh, hey you, green nub. Shadow didn't appreciate your shouting." Phantom's voice, quiet and soothing and making my ears stop aching. Phantom tried to pull my attention away from the rising moon, but I fought him and he eventually stopped trying. "Try not to be loud. He might attack. Usually when the moon gets this close to being full, we go out to the forest. There's this big clearing that Shadow likes, and he'll just howl all night."

"Is Friend Shadow a wolf?" Starfire asked, looking interested and faintly curious.

"Uh, no," Phantom laughed. "No, he's not a wolf. He's like... half-wolf... We don't really know the entire story. As far as we remember, he's always been like this."

"You have amnesia?" the cloaked girl asked suddenly, effectively drawing my attention to her. The Titans flinched at the sight of my red glowing pupils, which were a side-effect of the moon's influence on me. I sensed something dark from her, and I growled low. Crouching, my arms and legs having shifted their anatomy to fit a more wolf-like body, I forced my white-haired boyfriend to the ground as I stood over him, ready to protect him.

"Whoa, Shadow... just... calm down..." Phantom tried, unable to look up at me because he was lying on his stomach. I growled at him and he fell silent.

The cloaked girl growled right back. "You want to fight, wolf?" Tendrils escaped from under her cloak. "Then I hope you aren't afraid of the dark."

I snarled louder, but it turned into a yelp as Phantom suddenly jumped up and pinned me. I couldn't bring myself to swipe at him, but I struggled as much as I could. This girl was dangerous; I didn't like the scent that was coming off of her. Phantom grabbed my arms and forced me to face the moon, but the moon wasn't working its magic the way it had earlier. My job was to protect my ghost companion at night, and this dark creature could make him fade if she got the chance! I, on the other hand, was not going to let her get that chance. The presence dwindled as the tendrils disappeared and I, breathing heavily, finally let my instincts go.

Immediately I slumped, exhausted but unwilling to sleep. The pretty gleaming silver light that filtered in through the window caught my attention again, and I just barely noticed the red tinge that appeared as I fixed my gaze on the moon.

"Dude... how does Raven not scare him?" the green boy whispered in awe.

"The dark doesn't scare him," Phantom answered as he made me lay down, fixing my beanie (which had begun to fall off in my struggling) and making sure that I would stay put. "It sure makes him angry, though. Last time he sensed something dark, he ripped it to shreds and used it as a warning to every other dark thing in the forest."


	4. Chapter 4

When I woke up the next morning, I didn't really remember much of the previous night. My headache was gone, and for that I was grateful. My senses seemed much sharper and I couldn't seem to get comfortable, shifting restlessly. Phantom, who looked like he'd only been up for half an hour or so, gave me a side-long glance and nervously glanced at the sky. It was sometime around eight PM, a time that neither of us usually woke up at. Phantom checked the surrounding area, then grabbed my hand.

"Come on," he muttered, "We're getting out of here and going to the forest." Eager to obey him and eager to escape, I followed him.

-line break-

"How could they just _leave?"_ Robin fumed, pacing. "No alarms went off, and there's not even any security footage of them leaving!"

"I've got a theory," Raven mono-toned, causing the other Titans to look at her. "I think they might actually be ghosts. The way Shadow reacted when he sensed what I was... that's something only a ghost would do."

"Well... it would explain how they got away," Beast Boy mused. "I mean, if they're ghosts, they can go invisible and stuff! Right?"

"It doesn't explain why, though," Robin countered. "Ghosts or not, _why_ would they leave?"

"Friend Phantom said yesterday that he and Friend Shadow normally go out to a forest near the time when the moon is full," Starfire piped up. "Perhaps they are going there?"

"Maybe..."

"Besides," Cyborg cut in, "we were all out fighting when we assume they left. What better time for two vandals to escape, right?"

-line break-

Phantom and I were stopped by a child-looking guy in a weird green suit, and he looked like he has eight metal spider legs coming out of his back. I growled and whined, twirling in place behind Phantom, my energy needing an outlet.

"Hey!" the kid shouted when he realized that neither of us really cared. "Pie-for-brains! Bad guy right here! Why aren't you running?! _STOP IGNORING ME!_ "

I snarled at him and shuddered as a sharp jolt of energy shot up my spine, flashing a hazy picture of my ghost wolf form over my own form. The kid looked at me, unimpressed. I lunged for him, claws sparking, but he only laughed and dodged out of the way.

"So you think you can beat me, huh?! Have fun, crud-muncher! No one can defeat me, Gizmo!"

"You wanna bet?" Phantom said somewhat lazily, watching as I began to spark more and more. He only started to look worried when my wolf form began to flash more and more clearly. I didn't get a chance to hit the kid before the white-haired ghost grabbed my arm and turned invisible, running through the town to get me to the forest as quick as he could. I was dangerous in my wolf form, and I could end up destroying the entire town _by accident._

We just barely managed to clear the forest line when I shuddered again and transformed, howling as loud as I could. Phantom climbed up my fur and grabbed two big handfuls of the black flame-like fur, dug his heels into my sides as though I was a horse, and he began to direct me towards the clearing that I liked. We were just starting in when we heard the shouting from the Teen Titans. Without him needing to direct me, I turned and sprinted back to the city that we had just left, running to help the people who had said they would put us in prison not even a day before for not showing up to their Tower.

I ran straight into the middle of the fighting, the ground rumbling under my paws. My eye, completely turquoise with only a red pupil to show where I was looking, locked onto the pint-sized brat's face. I was perfectly content with a staring contest until he made one mistake. He tried to hurt Phantom.

Barking furiously, I swiped my paws at the spider-like pint-sized kid, damaging only one of the legs in a lucky swipe. Phantom was still trying to direct me, but my primary instinct now was to defend my mate. Suddenly, I lunged downwards and snagged the pint-sized kid's harness. He screamed as I shook my head back and forth as fast as I possibly could, ripping the harness off and sending the self-proclaimed "Gizmo" into the asphalt.

I had managed not to destroy anything other than the street; after all, Phantom and I did need a town to haunt. What good would come out of destroying our haunt? A glimmer of silver light caught my eye, and I twisted to stare at the full moon. The Titans got Gizmo in prison before they noticed. Sitting right in the middle of the street was I, a giant ghost wolf with a white-haired vandal perched on my left shoulder. The full moon, so pretty and tantalizing, caused me to do what I was best at.

I howled.

-line break-

Waking up the next morning was _terrible._ It was like waking up on Monday, but _way_ worse. Like waking up on Monday and realizing you had three projects for three different classes due that day, and in the other classes you had tests that you didn't study for. And then you're also late for school. And you didn't eat breakfast. And you didn't have enough money to buy lunch. And on the way home, you get mugged. And when you get home your mom yells at you for being late home and takes away every privilege you have for a month. And during that month you have to sell the concert tickets you bought because you're grounded and unable to go to the concert. And your mom takes the money you get from selling the tickets to buy your _little sibling_ something that _you_ had wanted to buy for yourself, like a new phone or whatever, even though _they_ had come home way later than you had without a justifiable excuse. _That_ kind of terrible.

When I woke up, I sneezed. That jolted me awake and I took in my surroundings with tired but alert eyes. Just the hideout. Phantom was asleep on the bed next to me, sprawled out like he's simply flopped there and fallen asleep, one arm over his eyes and the other hanging over the edge of the bed. I coughed into my hand as the irresistible itch sprung up in my lungs and throat, ectoplasm coating my palm and the gooey substance slid its way off of palm onto the floor, where it took an obscene amount of time to evaporate.

Man, ecto-repression sickness _sucked._


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for not uploading! I got hit with a stomach virus, and I've been trying not to exert myself. But I feel really bad so I'm writing this chapter for you guys. :)**

 **Also, my first reviewer, a guest named Nemo: thank you for your wonderful comment. It proves to me that you did not read my summary, that this was in fact a boy x boy fic. Either that, or you clicked on my story just to give me that review. Your review lights up my world every time I read it.**

 **With that done and over with, onto the chapter! [Note: I do not usually respond to hateful reviews, nor do I read them. However, I felt that Nemo's review would be an excellent example of how I respond to hate. Criticism is always welcome, though.]**

Phantom was so worried that his hair was beginning to take on a ectoplasmic green tint; I'd never gotten ecto-repression so soon after the full moon, and it worried him. Another term for ecto-repression would be ghost flu, and that was the term that Phantom preferred to use. I'd been sick for three days already, and today was the fourth day of it.

The white-haired ghost had been silently and invisibly sneaking into stores to take small bottles of flu medicine in the hopes that some kind of it would work. He'd even been leaving money, just surreptitiously dropping it on the counter and leaving. Today he had a generic kind of flu medicine, having heard that generic medicine worked better than brand name medicine.

"The Teen Titans nearly spotted me," he mumbled as he helped me sit up and held the tiny cup of medicine to my lips. It smelled like toothpaste and tasted like peppermint. "I think the cloaked girl might be able to sense me when I'm invisible. If this doesn't help you, I think we might just have to wait out your flu..."

I nodded to show that I'd heard him.

-line break-

Unfortunately, human medicine didn't seem to be capable of helping with ghost illnesses. On the sixth day of being ill, Phantom burst into our hideout panicking. I was laying on the couch, holding the radio on subconsciously while also tiring myself out needlessly. When the door slammed open, I jumped and fell onto the floor, the radio immediately going quiet. Phantom, hyperventilating and looking like he just ran halfway across the city in less than five minutes (which was completely possible but discouraged), shut the door and locked it. With _every_ lock we'd installed, including the ones that only worked half the time.

"Phantom?" I whimpered, my nose dripping my ectoplasm down my face because I'd hit it against the floor.

"They're coming," Phantom gasped, trying to keep his breathing steady. "They found me and I'm sure they're going to trace my path to here. I ran as fast as I could, but there's no way they're very far behind." Without another word, he grabbed me up (holding me bridal style, which I hated; I was even still loosely wrapped up in my blankets) and ran for the back exit. He didn't make it in time before both doors were smashed open, trapping us. The ghost's green eyes flickered between the girls at one door and the boys at the other. Our floor, inconveniently for us, was phase proof; we had made it that way to keep out other ghosts.

The Titans looked utterly confused for a moment, before the green nubby one suddenly spoke up: "Dude, is... Shadow sick?"

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, diphead," Phantom deadpanned, looking increasingly nervous. He couldn't fight the Titans _and_ protect me, because he still hadn't gotten down duplicating. Sure, he could do it, but his duplicates only lasted a few minutes _at most._

"It is our fault that Friend Shadow is sick?" Starfire wondered with a hurt air about her; Phantom quickly shook his head. He took the whole "friend" concept way too far in my opinion.

"No, no, it's no one's fault," he said with a pleading look in his glowing green eyes. "He's just been sick for a while and he's not getting better." I wanted to hit him, but I was getting tired. The longer I was sick, the less time I spent awake. "Please just leave us alone. Just until Shadow gets better. Then we'll go back to making trouble and you can go back to trying to throw us in jail. Please?"

That was the last I heard before I fell into a fitful, restless sleep.

-line break-

I woke as abruptly and completely as though a car alarm had gone off right next to my ear. The next thing I remembered was the slow beeping of a machine as it matched its pace to my core-beats.

I felt like I'd been run over with a dump truck; my ribs were screaming at me that they were bruised; the stagnant pool of ectoplasm in my mouth that had apparently dripped down my cheek and dried there taunted my weakness; I could barely twitch my fingers. I recognized the inability to move as sleep paralysis, which meant that I had in fact been awoken very abruptly. I waited an hour, or maybe just a few minutes, before my muscles woke up and I could blink my eyes open and sit up.

I couldn't see anyone in the room with me, which was both a relief and a worry. It meant that the Teen Titans were not monitoring my every move, but it also meant that Phantom was nowhere to be seen. Or sensed, as the small puff of electrified air that came out whenever he was nearby and I didn't know did not appear. I let my gaze drift over to my left, where I saw the beeping machine. So I was hooked up to a heart monitor. I then let my eye search the right half of the room, where I found that I was not in fact alone.

The Titans leader was sitting at a computer at the far end of the right side of the room with his back to me. He was muttering to himself furiously about "ghost flu", which Phantom must have told him I had, and he was furiously typing and getting angrier by the second.

"Look up ecto-repression," I said aloud, catching his attention. "It's another term for ghost flu."

My eye was met with the masked gaze of the boy wonder, and for a split second we just looked at each other. Then, the spiky black-haired boy nodded and turned back to the computer to do what I had suggested.


	6. Chapter 6

**Oops I stopped updating again sorry. I probably won't update everyday like I used to, at least not until school ends. I'd really like some positive reviews, guys! Of course, I'm not (and can't) forcing anyone to review, but I'd really like some. Helpful criticism is welcome! To the guest who reviewed, thank you! :)**

Though Robin (that was the leader's name) didn't find anything that might help, he found out everything that _wouldn't_ help. Blood blossoms, anti-ghost weapons, Epsom salt, vacuums, other ghosts (Robin took this as "keep Phantom away from Shadow" and thus Phantom was not allowed to visit me; he did anyway and eventually Robin stopped trying to keep him away), being dissected, pretty much _don't try to kill the ghost._

After, like, a week or something stupid like that of staying in the infirmary of the Tower, I got fed up and annoyed with it. So when I heard the Titans and Phantom in the kitchen, getting ready for breakfast, I struggled to my feet and was almost there when I suddenly tripped over my blanket and hit the floor. Phantom, ever the worrywart, was instantly at my side, trying to get me back in bed, but I shook him off and growled, "I don't want to lay in bed anymore."

His green eyes widened in surprise at my tone of voice, and he backed away from me slightly. I used the wall to claw myself back into a standing position, where I gave a startled Robin and an excited Starfire a pained smile. And then I asked one simple question.

"What's for breakfast?"

Starfire made some sort of Tameranian dish for breakfast, which Phantom and I took quite the liking to. The other Teen Titans seemed appalled that either of us could even stomach it, let alone enjoy it. The gelatin-like substance was the only thing I'd eaten besides medicine in about two weeks, and as a result it took me nearly an hour to eat the small portion that Starfire had given me. However, the fact that I had not turned green with disgust encouraged her and she ended up giving me a bone-crushing hug once I'd finished it.

I choked and phased out of her grip, wheezing. "Please do try not to break my ribs, Star." Starfire looked sheepish and upset, so I quickly added on, "At least not until I'm better, okay? Then you can break my ribs all you want."

I didn't think I'd ever seen anyone happier than she was at that moment.

Currently, I was being held on Phantom's lap while he proceeded to kick Beast Boy and Cyborg into next week in a video game. Something about car racing, I was pretty sure. Phantom's arms were around me as his chin rested on my shoulder, and I was leaning back contentedly against his chest when this abnormally loud alarm went off throughout the Tower. Both Phantom and I winced and gasped in pain at the loud sound.

"Titans, trouble!" Robin shouted, and the Titans were off. At the very last second, Robin seemed to remember us and told us, "Stay here."

"Will do, Cap'n," Phantom muttered, rubbing his temples. "Don't need any convincing here."

Robin gave us a distrusting look, but he really had no choice but to leave. And we were left alone.

-line break-

For the first hour or two, Phantom and I were completely fine with being alone. My boyfriend had me lie down on the couch, laying behind me and continuing to play his game. He tried to teach me how to play, but my head hurt too much and he stopped trying. He did dim the lights and lower the volume on the TV considerably, while I simply closed my eyes and lied still. Eventually Phantom shut off the game and held me close, trying to soothe my raging headache with soft and quiet jokes which made me laugh. The chuckles always cut off with a moan of pain.

Then the paranoia set in.

What if the Titans were gone for more than a day? I was in no condition to cook and Phantom couldn't be trusted to make something edible. And there was the fact that if my headache continued, I would need aspirin. Phantom had no idea where the Titans kept their aspirin and he was unwilling to go snooping, nor could he leave me alone long enough to go get aspirin from a market. We were trapped within the Tower, and that was what kept Phantom from falling asleep.

I slept fitfully, waking up every half hour or so in pain. Another paranoid thought struck me, and I shivered. What if whatever was going on back in the city was just a diversion, and the villains were really after the Tower? Phantom could not fend off anyone alone, and especially not while protecting me. Fevered and unable to move for the pain of my headache, I would be no help in keeping the Tower safe. Even if I could shift into my wolf form without destroying the Tower, I wouldn't be able to do much. My headache would catch up with me eventually and then I would be next to useless.

The sound of a window breaking startled me awake again, making me flinch with pain as my raging headache reacted to my movement, I felt Phantom shift, gathering me up in his arms and taking off through the Tower. A cold tingling sensation went through me as he turned us invisible and intangible, hiding us from whomever had broken in.

"Search the Tower for those two," a male voice said commandingly. "They can't have gone far."

I recognized that voice.

Gizmo.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay so I had finals to study for so I never wrote this. :/ Sorry. BUT HEYYYYY HAPPY BELATED MEMORIAL DAY GUYS.**

 **Warning: The Teen Titans and their enemies might become OOC in this chapter. I haven't watched Teen Titans in an immensely long time so I don't really know what they would do in the following situation. I'll put this warning at the beginning of every chapter when the characters might go OOC.**

 **Also okay so I was gonna post this waaaaaay earlier but then I just sorta like... forgot to finish writing it... sooooo... sorry? Also this was written really fast and might be confusing and dull. Please forgive me. :/**

Phantom did his best to keep us hidden. The door was locked along with a few others to make it seem natural, stacking a few heavy items against the door. My boyfriend even tried to make a hammock of sorts to keep me comfortable, but I insisted on sitting next to him on the floor and he used whatever blankets he found to keep us warm. Mostly me, since Phantom was immune to the cold, but I made him take a blanket as well.

We were stuck there for who knows how long when we heard footsteps getting closer.

"Right here. Stick them in this room. Unlock it if you have to, but make sure you lock the door afterwards!" That voice we didn't know. It was a girl's voice.

The door opened forcefully and we turned invisible, hiding. The heavy items that Phantom had stacked against the door went flying and crashed into the far wall. The Teen Titans were deposited in the room and then the door was shut and locked. We were alone again.

"Ugh," Robin groaned, tied up, "how are we supposed to get out of this _now?"_

"Well," Phantom mused, turning us visible again, "you could always ask nicely."

"And aspirin," I groaned. "Aspirin would be nice."

-line break-

As it turned out, none of the Titans had any aspirin on them. But they did know where to get some (I'd've hoped so, this was their house after all), which led to Phantom going intangible and walking through the walls to get it to me. Once I had some, my ghost metabolism kicked in and the medicine started wokring after a little bit.

"Better," I grumbled. Now I was cranky and tired. Phantom poked my cheek repeatedly to keep me from passing out, but he stopped once I started nipping him. My left ear flicked towards the door, but I didn't hear anything. Phantom reached forward and turned the rope intangible, letting the Titans go free. A shiver went up my spine, and I twisted to stare at the door.

"What's he... doing?" the green nub asked, sort of weirded out.

"He must have sensed something," Phantom replied. "His sight isn't very good, so he mostly relies on scent and hearing and that weird 6th sense all animals have."

I flicked my tail at him, too busy to give him a proper scolding. Creeping towards the door, I crouched down and stared through the crack at the bottom. After a few moments, I stiffened and growled, the beginning of a bark.

"Shhh!" Phantom put his hand around my nose and jaw line, holding my mouth shut. I growled at him. "We don't want them to know we're here," he hissed at me. That was one of the things I didn't like about my boyfriend. He was a bit catty. I wagged my tail once, and he let go of my mouth. I could feel the new moon coming on, which meant we had to hurry and get out of here before I was left without my dog senses.

Phantom and I managed to make a plan, explain the plan, and phase everyone through the door before the night started. Unfortunately, as soon as the last Titan was freed, everything suddenly became much darker for me. My sense of smell disappeared, and I could no longer hear the talking on the floor above. I growled, but it was a low, raspy sound; not even similar to my normally-terrifying attack growl.

"They put up barricades just in case you escaped," Phantom explained. "Shadow heard it. Be as quiet as you can, and we'll fly you up through the floor. NO doubt there are traps up there."

For some reason, that only made the Titans more eager to fight.

-line break-

It was tough, getting everyone on the above floor without alerting the baddies, but we somehow did it. I climbed in the air vents with Beast Boy and Robin while Phantom, Raven, and Cyborg hid. Starfire had agreed to bait the trio of villains (as apparently Gizmo never went anywhere without his two lackeys- reminded me of someone, somewhere, but I didn't know who nor did I know where. A part of my absent past, I supposed) into the area where the rest of us could ambush them.

Starfire called out loudly, "Enemy Gizmo and Enemy Gizmo's friends! Please come out to fight!" Even when trying to sound angry, she was polite. And now, the only thing the rest of us had to do was wait for the prey to take the bait. Just like hunting for rabbits.


	8. Chapter 8

**I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING IN FOREVER PLEASE DO NOT STAB ME THAT WOULD BE UNDESIRABLE ALSO I ONLY OWN THIS FANFIC AND MY OC ROSE NOTHING ELSE :)**

As it turns out, Gizmo was indeed smart enough to not come skittering like a kitten to its mother. We ended up waiting there for over half an hour before I gave up and climbed out of the vent, a small glimmer of light letting me catch sight of now shadowy-purple hair. My eye should be purple, I knew that. Even though I was colorblind.

"I give up," I announced. "So, since this plan is bunk, I've decided to go tearing throughout the entire tower in the hopes of catching Gizmo's attention."

"Shadow, no," Phantom argued. "You'll hurt yourself. You're vulnerable like this." I backed up a little, watching him (even though it was hard to see him). "Shadow." I backed up more. "Shadow, no." I turned and ran as fast as I could, which was pretty fast. I would have been faster if it wasn't a new moon. " _Shadow get back here!"_

"Never!" I shouted back, pushing myself faster. A dull ache ran up my left leg, dull only because of the adrenaline coursing through my ectoplasm. I remembered a song, "My Heart Still Beats" by Maria Mena... and so naturally I decided to sing it as loud as I could.

"Nobody said

It was gonna be

 _Easy_

But when I forgive

There are no strings attached."

Behind me, I could hear the Titans running after me and Phantom was most likely with them. That wasn't my original plan, but I could run with it. My own plan was highly flexible like that, seeing as I didn't have an actual "plan" other than "run around and make Gizmo want to strangle you with your own tail".

"Was not gonna

Bring up your flaws

In an argument

Not gonna rest on a

Counter-attack."

Gizmo _had_ to hear me, right? I was practically screaming! I'd be surprised if _Illinois_ didn't hear me! Illinois was far from California... and yet I felt like I'd been there before? I didn't have time to focus on that though. I needed to carry out my ingenious plan!

"When you first revealed your

 _Be-tray-al_

My first _re-ac-tion_ was

How dare you rob me of my trust?"

I heard skittering. Gizmo must be close, then. I nearly fell over a box since I no longer had a tail to help me keep my balance. As it was, I skidded to the floor and propelled myself forward on all fours for a few steps before my more-human-shaped body forced me up onto two legs.

"But not even _this_

Would be able to

Shake our foundation

Cause it was created

By us.

I can still... see... _you..._

From a point... of... view..."

I could definitely hear the skittering now. I intentionally knocked something over as I passed, to at least attempt to slow up Gizmo. Hopefully Phantom could get the Titans through. Otherwise, they might get caught up fighting Gizmo and I'd be too far away to help by the time I noticed.

"We spent our entire

 _Re-la-tion-ship_

Fighting each other,

Our goals

Were exactly the same."

Well, this was turning into a tragic love story, but whatever I could do to keep Gizmo distracted, I would. I just hoped I would remember all the lyrics... I was never really good at that. Sure, I could sing well, but if I forgot the lyrics I stuttered and would be unable to pick up the song afterwards.

"I put you through hell

By demanding

 _Ap-ol-o-gies_

Even though I was the one

Causing _pain."_

 _Right in the core._ Unfortunately, I knew the way that felt. Often, I gave apologies that weren't deserved. I was just that kind of person, Phantom assumed. And he was probably right.

"With your little

 _Mis-hap_

The ball was in _my_ court

To prove I could be the

 _Stron-ger_ one of us.

By taking over the role you so

 _El-e-gant-ly played_

Those years when I needed a

Rock.

I can still... see... _you..._

From a point... of... view..."

I turned a sharp corner on my blind side and almost crashed into Gizmo himself. So he'd taken an alternate route... Nonetheless, I managed to duck under him in time and keep running, still belting out a song. Just don't forget the lyrics... Please don't forget the lyrics, Rose!

Wait, Rose? Who was Rose?

"It _hurts_

But I'm not about to

 _Give you up._

Though _bro-ken,_

My heart still beats

It will not stop."

I thought I heard a distant voice echo back, _"stop"._ It sounded vaguely similar to my own... Was this "Rose"?

"It _hurts_

But I'm not about to

 _Give you up."_

The voice said back to me, _"Up."_

"Though _bro-ken,_

My heart still beats

It will not stop."

The voice was fainter now. _"Stop."_

"It _hurts_

But I'm not about to

 _Give you up."_

Even fainter now. _"Up."_

"Though _bro-ken,_

My heart still beats

It will not stop."

The voice was almost gone completely... _"Stop."_

And that was when I ran head-first into a wall. I groaned in pain and detached myself from the dent I'd made, the tinge of ozone in the air. I realized I'd been shooting off electricity as I gathered speed. I couldn't hear the voice anymore, and I'd lost my rhythm. If I tried singing again now, I'd sound like a dying cat. _I_ was a proud wolf. I would sound like no such thing.

There were sounds of fighting behind me. I turned as fast as my aching head would allow and sped down the hall, throwing myself into the fight. I relied on touch and sound, since my sense of scent was gone and my eyesight negligible. I clawed and bit and tore and shocked as much as my growing exhaustion would let me, firing ectoblasts when I could no longer shock.

Images kept flashing before my eyes, images that I didn't understand. A small, black-haired boy with ice blue eyes. Green, swirling masses that no one else saw. Strange people milling about me, and yet not even glancing my way. A man with grey hair and dark blue eyes and a suit crouching down and leading me to his home. A motorcycle. A girl with green skin and green hair who glowed. A blue jumpsuit. An orange jumpsuit. A young girl with red hair.

It didn't make sense. Too distracted, the hand that swung towards me was unnoticed until it was too late. A fist crashed against my human ear and knocked me to the ground, smashing my nose into the floor. Cold, slimy ecto dripped down my face. The ringing in my ears from the blow was too much. My awareness faded and the shrieks of the enemies disappeared. The cold, rushing darkness swallowed me whole before I could do anything to stop it.

 **AGAIN I AM SORRY FOR NOT POSTING IN A MILLION YEARS. I have reasons though. I'm getting ready for high school, freshman year, I'm writing a novel that I'm hoping to publish someday, and lately I've been somewhat under the weather. I'll try to update more, but I can't promise much. Sorry!**


	9. Chapter 9

**HELLO I KEPT MY PROMISE.**

It'd been a few weeks and a full moon since I'd woken up in the Titans' infirmary. Phantom had nearly been crying, he'd been so convinced that I was fading. The Titans had looked somewhat worried, except for the Dark girl. Cyborg, the robot-looking guy, had made me sit in the hospital bed for three days before I insisted that I was fine. My fangs helped convince him. He probably still had the bite marks. The man was just lucky that I wasn't venomous like a few other ghosts. My nose was broken, and I still had to wear the bandage while it healed. Apparently my healing was messed up, since my injuries were lingering for a lot longer than normal.

Currently, I was standing in the bathroom. Phantom was with me, looking dubious. The Titans were out on a mission or something stupid like that, and it was just us.

"I really don't think this will work," Phantom scoffed.

"It will," I said with growing certainty. "Rose says so."

"We still don't know who Rose is," Phantom pointed out. "Who says that we can trust this... _voice_ in your head?"

"Because Rose is..." I leaned back and stared at my reflection, trying to figure out how to word this. "Rose says that he's me... but not exactly. We're the same person... and not. At the same time. If that makes any sense?"

Phantom raised one eyebrow. "It makes absolutely no sense at all. But... if you really think this'll work."

"You should try it too," I encouraged. "Maybe it'll work."

Phantom only nodded, green eyes glinting. He was curious, I knew. He just didn't want to admit it. 'Alright,' I thought, focusing. 'Rose, please don't let me fail!' _'Don't worry,"_ came the sleepy voice. I had discovered that 'Rose' really only surfaced whenever I called on him. _'You won't fail.'_ 'I hope not.'

Staring at my reflection, I focused on the warm feeling that I got whenever it was a new moon. My body seemed to protest and I was about to give up when I heard Rose again. _"Don't stop. You're nearly there.'_ With renewed enthusiasm, I pushed at the stupid warm feeling in my chest. In a sudden flash of light rings, in which the air around me was disturbed and the warmth spread across my entire body, there in the mirror stood the form of me that showed up on new moons.

I looked at Phantom, who was gaping at me. Grinning with fangs still intact, I chirped smugly, "Your turn, Phantom."

-linebreak-

Phantom had sort of... photo-negatived, if that was a word. His white hair had turned to black and his green eyes had turned to blue. Not that I could see much of those colors. Going on Rose's words, I told Phantom that I was going to refer to his black-haired form as 'Danny'. In turn, he countered that he was now going to call me 'Rose' when I was in my new moon form. I'd initially worried about Rose getting upset, but the sleepy voice assured me that he didn't particularly care.

So what did Phantom and I do?

We went out to roam Jump City, of course. We hadn't seen it in a long while and with these 'human' forms, we could walk around without being recognized. Rose assured me that no one would know that we were 'the Ghost Kids', and, funnily enough, I almost trusted Rose as much as I trusted Phantom. It was odd. But, well, Rose hadn't been wrong before. This wouldn't be any different.

"So, 'Danny'?" I snickered, my eye glimmering with mischief. "What should we do first?"

Phantom looked at me, seriousness on his face but his eyes telling a whole 'nother story. "We go to the carnival, 'Rose'," he replied, grinning widely. He looked almost silly with such a wide, innocent grin on his face. But it also made him immensely cute and I felt my core jump into my throat and my cheeks heat up with a blush.

"Carnival it is," I agreed, grabbing his hand. "But you're going to have to lead me there, y'know. Since I can't see well and all."

"Fair enough," Phantom laughed, holding onto my hand tightly and leading me through the streets. I looked at the city in wonder, the peaceful surprising me. I had never seen anything so peaceful before. Usually, Phantom and I would sleep during the day. However, living with the Teen Titans had changed our sleep schedule. Now the only times we were up all night were during full moons when I couldn't sleep and Phantom would howl at the moon with me (just for laughs, of course. Still, it was always nice to have a howling partner).

I felt a weight in my pocket and focused on it as Phantom dragged me towards the carnival, me just trying to not trip over my too-long jeans. _'Check your pocket,'_ Rose mumbled to me, yawning and disappearing again. I blinked and, almost afraid of not doing what he said, I checked my pocket. I found a nicely-crafted, black crystal rose barrette in my pocket.

"What'cha got there, Sh-'Rose'?" Phantom questioned, nearly slipping up with the name thing.

"The voice..." I mumbled under my breath, before saying louder, "I found this in my pocket..."

Phantom took it from my hand, ignoring my protest, and looked it over. Then, smiling brightly, he leaned over and used it to clip my bangs out of the way of my remaining eye. Blinking at the sudden extent of my vision (even though my vision still sucked), I returned his smile.

"Thanks... Danny."

"Alright, _to the Ferris Wheel!"_ Phantom shouted, suddenly surging forward. I _did not_ yelp in surprise as I was yanked forward, and I definitely didn't stand in the line with Phantom and glare at him the entire time.

"It'll be fun!" Phantom whined, catching notice of my glare. "C'mon, Rose!"

I winced at the puppy-dog eyes, sighing. "Oh, alright... but just once, okay, Danny?"

"Deal!" Phantom said proudly, his response drowning out the faint gasps of realization from the concession booth about ten feet away, where a girl with black hair in a ponytail and a boy with a beret stood, staring at us.

 **AND I BEGIN TO THICKEN THE PLOT. DO YOU GUYS LOVE ME AGAIN. ;-;**


	10. Chapter 10

**i love all of you for favving this story. it makes me feel appreciated :) thank you**

I hated being short. Phantom was a lot taller than me, and honestly I hated it. To alleviate that some (and also to probably make sure that I didn't get lost), Phantom was currently carrying me on his shoulders. The Ferris wheel had freaked me out when we got stuck at the top, and Phantom had spent at least ten minutes trying to get me to calm down afterwards. While I wouldn't admit it now, I was trying to come to terms with the fact that I was terrified of heights that I couldn't get down from.

"Rose, do you want cotton candy?" Phantom asked, twisting his head to look at me. I dug my claws into his hair, holding on.

"Not particularly... but I'd be willing to share a bit with you." Phantom smiled wide and looked forward, dodging around people to get to the cotton candy stand. Brooding at how easy it was for him to get me to agree to anything he wanted, I refused to get down from his shoulders until he told me he couldn't get the treat unless I got down.

So I brooded over that for a little bit, thumping down onto a bench and pouting while I waited. I couldn't have very much sugar anyway, since neither Phantom nor I were really sure if it was safe for my wolf side to have a lot of sugar and neither of us were really willing to test that. Anyone who passed me looked a little offset by my facial expression, but for some reason a baby giggled and smiled at me. And I couldn't help smiling back, the tiny little baby way too cute to be allowed at the carnival.

"So I've been replaced with a baby, have I?" Phantom chuckled as he settled down next to me. I turned to him, raising one disbelieving eyebrow.

"No. The baby giggled at me so I smiled back." I reached over to take a bit of cotton candy, but Phantom held it out of my reach. I pouted and sighed, "Danny, come on."

"What do we say?" He was having fun with teasing me for being short.

" _Please?"_ I made sure to stop pouting when I whined at him just to crumble his defenses. He grinned widely and took a bit of the blue sugar in his fingers and held it out to me. Without skipping a beat, I leaned forward and took it from his hand with my mouth, making sure to nip him.

"Ow!" he whined, holding his nipped hand closer to him.

"Maybe you shouldn't be a jerk, then," I responded lightly. He didn't try that again.

-linebreak-

Again on Phantom's shoulders (mostly because I was tired and didn't want to walk anymore), I watched for whatever it was that he'd wanted me to look for. Except my eyesight was still terrible so I didn't really understand what he wanted from me.

 _He's forgetful,_ Rose murmured at me, curling up at the forefront of my mind. His presence was sort of comfortable, like a warm pillow. _It's natural for him to do that, don't worry._ 'You act like you know my mate better than I do,' I thought back to the voice, not quite paying attention. _Maybe I do. After all, we're sort of the same person._

I didn't respond to him after that. Mostly because I felt myself losing my energy from holding this human form so close to the full moon. I tapped Phantom's cheek, tapping more insistently when he didn't respond.

"Rose? ...You okay?" He took notice of how tired I looked. He himself seemed okay, but I could see exhaustion beginning to cloud his eyes.

"Tired," I mumbled. "Can't hold much longer... Full moon," I offered when he gave me an odd look. His eyes widened in realization and he nodded.

"Alright. I guess it's time to go home then, huh?" Phantom reached up and grabbed one of my hands, pulling it down from the soft bed of his hair and for he most part I didn't try to pull away. His hand was warm against mine.

Before I could respond, I felt him turn around and begin walking for the exit. Before anyone could notice, he turned us invisible and intangible and slid through the fencing. The rings of light appeared around my waist, ready to change me back, but I forced the rings to disappear even as my core protested, disliking the fact that I was still suppressing it in this human form. I felt something collide with my back, making me yelp in surprise.

"You okay, Shadow?" Phantom asked, pulling me forward to check on me and slipping back into my name since we were alone. I squirmed out of his grasp and searched for the thing that had hit me, finding something metal that hadn't been on the ground before.

"...Some sort of boomerang?" I muttered, checking it all over. Who would make a metal boomerang anyway? As a sort of test, I threw it. It flew away from and then came back towards me. I readied myself to catch it, but it flashed past me and hit Phantom right in the head.

"A boomerang that's keyed into my ecto-signature?" Phantom snapped, picking up the thing and glaring at it. If he could shoot ectorays out of his eyes, he definitely would have destroyed the contraption.

"We should keep it," I told him, gently easing it out of his death grip. His fingers had made only the smallest of dents in the metal, though I was somewhat sure that the stupid contraption had left a dent in his head. On the metal thing, there was a large F. What did it stand for? And how was it even keyed into an ecto-signature anyway?

"...Yeah. That'd probably be best," Phantom finally sighed, looking at the thing apprehensively.

"Are you okay? It smacked right into your head..."

"I'll be okay. Just an ache." Phantom grinned and picked me up bridal-style, transforming back into the white-haired boy I knew. His sudden transformation surprised me and my own rings sprang forward, transforming me back into my black-haired self.

 _No need to be afraid,_ Rose mumbled to me, slowly retreating into my subconscious. _The rings can't hurt you. Try practicing that transformation more often, okay? It makes me feel... a little better... to know that you're using my appearance. Just don't rob any banks with it._


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey, guys, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this. Do you like this story? Is there anything I can do better? I don't know. Do you want me to keep writing this? If I do stop, I'll post what the ending was going to be, I promise.**

I giggled when I saw Shadow passed out in a corner of the room at 2 PM. Sure, I wasn't supposed to have split from him anyway, but when else was I gonna get the chance to be myself? I was still really tired and just a little bit less solid than I would have normally been, kind of opaque really, but I was myself. I'd been waiting for a chance like this for... a really long time. In the mind, time didn't really exist. If there was one thing I was glad about, it was that I was what some ghosts called a 'hallowed ghost'. Instead of being fused to my own ghost to create a halfa, I was half of a human fused to half of a ghost. Still technically a halfa but because how I became a halfa, I was a hallowed ghost. Being a hallowed ghost meant that another ghost's powers, such as Desiree's powers, could only affect the form that I was currently in.

Desiree had made one fatal mistake. She hadn't followed through with the wish. I still had my memories. I hadn't forgotten about Danny Phantom.

But right now I had more pressing matters to deal with. Like taking a selfie with Shadow while he slept. And then sending it to my friends' contacts (and Jazz), because they probably deserved to know what was going on. Opening my camera, I flipped it to the front- and stared at myself. My hair was a _mess_ and I looked like I hadn't slept in three years, when honestly that was all I'd been doing since Shadow and Danny were jerked into Jump City with fake memories. Pouting, I fixed my hair until it at least was presentable, though it was definitely different from my usual style. I positioned myself near Shadow, and smiled through my stifled snickering. Taking the picture, I captioned it, "Look how cute he is when he sleeps!" and sent it to Sam, Tucker, and Jazz.

That's why on September 24th, 2015, at 2:13 PM, my friends and boyfriend's sister received a text message from someone they hadn't heard from in almost a year. That's also why I spent an hour texting them back at explaining what I could from what knowledge I had.

 **Sam Manson: Whyd u wait so long 2 talk 2 us? [3:05 PM]**

 **Tucker Foley: yeah what happened rose [3:09 PM]**

 **Jazz Fenton: Are you okay? Is Danny okay? [3:10 PM]**

 **You: 'm rlly tired... srry guys... but we r fine, jazz [3:10 PM]**

 **You: g2g now... rlly tired... cant stay here much longer... ttyl [3:12 PM]**

 **Sam Manson: Wait, rose! [3:14 PM]**

 **Tucker Foley: pls stay! [3:15 PM]**

 **Jazz Fenton: Rose, hold on, please! [3:16 PM]**

 **Jazz Fenton: ...Rose? [5:18 PM]**

When I woke up, my head kinda hurt. Uncurling from my position in the corner and stretching, I waved my tail to clear it of stiffness and went click-clacking across the floor to find Phantom. I passed Traffic Light (cough the leader of the Teen Titans cough) on my way to the room that Phantom and I had been given, ignoring his pause of surprise (either from my passing him, from my being awake, or just because I was trotting on all fours), and sniffed at the air. To my surprise, Phantom's scent led to the front door. He had left just half an hour ago or so. I wondered why he hadn't woken me, then wondered why he'd left.

Oh well... He'd tell me when he came back. Wouldn't he? He usually did. There were sometimes when he didn't know how to tell me, and gave me a very simple explanation. Sometimes it was just that he didn't want to wake me up. Other times he just needed some space.

He'd tell me when he came back.

But he didn't come back. I waited up for hours. It was 7 the next morning when the Titans found me still staring at the door, not blinking or breathing or even squirming. They ignored it at first, seemingly too tired to really compute. But the Dark one noticed and forced me to talk. After that, the Titans got worried. Phantom had never been gone this long without me before. I didn't know if he was coming back, and that worried the Teen Titans.

"Stay here, Shadow," Traffic Light ordered. "If Phantom comes back, it's best if you're here to see." I didn't have the heart to disobey him, so I just nodded and returned my stare to the door. "Alright, Titans, go!" Starfire gave me a lingering look before she followed them.

I didn't have it in me to tell the Titans that I didn't think they'd find Phantom.

* * *

Watching the door became my pastime. I ate when the Titans forced me to eat, I slept when Robin would slip me sleeping pills, I moved when Cyborg chased me with the vacuum. Otherwise, I didn't do anything. I watched the door. I waited for Phantom. He would come back, I kept telling myself. He would come back, if only for something he'd left behind. Even if that something wasn't me, he would come back. I had to keep faith in him.

I didn't notice when the Titans got a message from a guy they called "Slade". I didn't notice when Phantom appeared on screen. All I took notice of was the door. Phantom would appear through that door to come back to me. Or he would appear through the door to destroy my core. He would appear. I knew he would. A light shove to my ribs made me look up, and that was when I noticed.

Phantom. It'd been a month, hadn't it? He looked starving, weak, and ragged from exhaustion. The other person on screen mad me growl. He was Dark, Darker than the psychic girl. He had taken Phantom. I wanted Phantom back. _Give him back,_ I whispered in my head, unable to speak because of how long I'd gone without using my voice. _Give him back. I want him back. Give him back to me._ I growled at the man, only partially aware that this was a video, not the man in the flesh.

"Come to abandoned warehouse if you want him back so badly." The video cut out. The Titans gave me an uneasy look. They hadn't seen me notice anything since a month ago. They hadn't heard anything from my throat in over a month. I narrowed my eyes, thinking. The abandoned warehouse. I knew where that was. Phantom and I had lived there before we discovered the hideout.

I didn't say anything to the Titans. I didn't need to. They followed me as soon as I went tearing for the door, a low, harsh, ragged snarl rattling in my chest. They didn't have to say anything, either. Other than their stupid slogan ("Titans, go!") from Traffic Light, they ran after me. I knew why. Slade was their enemy. But they also didn't want me to fall back into staring at the door. How pathetic. The heroes of the city, worried over _me,_ some lowlife vandal.

But I knew their real reason, deep in my subconscious. Perhaps it was Rose who knew, and not me, because I didn't even think of it. It didn't even occur to me. Deep down, Rose knew. They knew how ferocious I got when I was angry. They wanted to make sure that I didn't turn that anger on them for not helping me save Phantom. But that worked fine for me. As far as I was concerned, I just wanted to have Phantom back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey, guys. The-real-ghost-king, I'm really glad you love this series! But I've decided not to continue it. I just have no muse for it anymore. However, this does not mean that I'm going to stop writing! I have a different series that I've been thinking about and getting hyped for. Maybe someday I'll return to this series and do a re-write, but it won't be for a long time. As promised, here is how the series was going to end!**

 **Shadow (Rose) would save Phantom (Danny) from Slade with the Teen Titans, and would be fiercely protective over him for the next few weeks.**

 **The two would then go back to the hide-out under the cover of midnight, after painting a giant dick on the Titans' tower of course.**

 **They would go into hiding for a bit, and then cause chaos again.**

 **Sam and Tucker would eventually manage to find them again and talk them into being cooperative. This talk may or may not have included Sam's combat boots.**

 **Sam and Tucker, with just half a year left, would try to convince Shadow and Danny of their identities.**

 **Before this would happen, Rose would end up splitting off from Shadow and being kidnapped by (guess who) Vlad and Slade, who are (guess what) working together.**

 **Sam and Tucker would not manage to convince Phantom or Shadow of their identities and both would just want to get Rose back.**

 **They manage to get Rose back, and Rose (keeping his memories) would explain it to the ghosts and convince them.**

 **Sam and Tucker would find Desiree and wish that none of this had ever happened, wiping everyone's memories of the events that had transpired.**

 **Danny and Rose would ask where Kit and Cobalt (the ghosts apprentices of Clockwork) were, and Jazz (after a hug-fest) would respond that both had gone on a trip and neither had returned yet.**

 **The series would end with everyone hoping that Kit and Cobalt were having a good trip, and wondering when they'd be back.**

 **Obviously, this would have been spread out over a lot of chapters, but this is just the basic layout. Haha, hey, did you guys guess what I'm going to be writing about next?**

 **Well, I'd hope so, cause I kinda gave it away. Kit and Cobalt are going to be the focus of my next series! I'll be placing them in many different universes (haha not that many I'm not that suave nor that knowledgeable on other fandoms) and writing about their experiences there. Plus, the first part in the series will tell you just how their trip went. ;)**

 **I don't know**

 **Have fun, guys, and I'll see you soon! -Zelith**


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